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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30027048">running out of time</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/inniterz/pseuds/inniterz'>inniterz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Blood and Violence, Character Death, Clay | Dream Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Gen, Hurt No Comfort, If You Squint - Freeform, Injury, Not Canon Compliant, Prison, Self-Harm, i think, it is pretty graphic stay safe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:27:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,776</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30027048</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/inniterz/pseuds/inniterz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Dream, if you try and break out early - you know you only have one life left, okay. And, I don’t think it’s gonna be Tommy, it’s not gonna be Techno, Dream - if you break out of this prison, it’s gonna be me who takes your final life."</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clay | Dream &amp; Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>171</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>running out of time</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>tw for graphic self harm, please proceed with caution (it’s stated in the tags, but i’m just making sure).</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The grass was soft under his feet.</p><p>He shouldn’t, couldn’t bask in the feeling - he knew he had to start running, and soon, but the sensation of the strands curling around his toes was heavenly.</p><p>A small breeze caressed his greasy hair, stirring up the sweaty locks plastered on his forehead - he shivered, the cold a stark contrast from the burning hot little cell he had spent the last months <i>(years?)</i> in.  His mask was long forgotten, smiley face shattered and discarded in the corners of the prison - he remembered smashing it against the wall again and again and again, sharp edges cutting his rough palms, droplets of blood staining the porcelain. He remembered driving a chunk of it into his forearm, rage blinding him, preventing him from forming coherent thoughts, his rationality only coming back when he felt an overwhelming pain spread through his arms - he remembered only staring at the slashes across the pale skin, crimson coating it.</p><p>He remembered the feeling of his mouth stretching ear to ear in a wide grin - he remembered the bubble of laughter crawling up his throat, until he was laughing uncontrollably, arms numb and cold, hands colder as he gripped his jumpsuit tightly, twisting the fabric in his slippery fingers.</p><p>He remembered wanting, wishing so badly to get out - he remembered pounding his fists against the obsidian walls, until his knuckles were nothing more than a bloodied mess. He remembered crying, pleading, begging to please, let him out - on the days where he felt like the walls were closing on him, where dark figures loomed over his frail, malnourished body, the only source of light in the room coming from the curtain of bubbling lava separating him from everything.</p><p>He only did that on bad days, days where he’d lose his carefully crafted composure, his cold facade breaking into pieces - days where he’d aimlessly throw himself in the lava, blinding pain overwhelming his senses, the smell of burning flesh barely grazing his nostrils before he landed harshly in the small pond of water in the corner of the cell.</p><p>Before he was back in the tiny box, back in his monotonous routine of watching the clock tick, the lava fall - monotonous routine and waiting <i>(for what?).</i></p><p>Sometimes, he laid down on the unforgiving floor, and imagined he was outside, lying on the grass, nails digging in mud instead of scraping against rough obsidian, the smell of wet grass engulfing him instead of burning hot fire assaulting his nose - only to wake up, disappointed, still trapped.</p><p>He wasn’t trapped anymore - he could see faint rays of sun seeping through the heavy clouds gathering in the sky, he could hear the chirping of birds nearby.</p><p>He almost felt whole again, the exhilarating feeling of freedom overpowering his survival instincts, instincts screaming at him to run, to get away from the prison, from everyone, from the SMP, before it was too late.</p><p>He threw his arms over his head, a small smile forming on his lips for the first time in months - it wasn’t a sneer, it wasn’t a grin, it was genuine, it <i>felt</i> genuine.</p><p>The warm feeling spreading in his chest felt genuine too.</p><p>He closed his eyes as he felt the first droplets of rain rolling down his cheeks, washing away encrusted dust and dirt.</p><p>He felt alive, for the first times in months.</p><p>His mind was devoid of any thoughts - he just stood there, relishing in everything, everything he had been deprived of for so long, realizing how much he missed it, all of it.</p><p>It felt like he had been standing there for so long - it felt like time had stilled, feeling merciful upon seeing him, the god of the SMP, the powerful admin, in torn clothes, bruised knees, scarred arms, with only skin on bones.</p><p>Until it decided that it was enough, and the loud blaring of an alarm rang through his previously empty and comptent brain, shattering the fake feeling of safety - because he wasn’t safe, he never was.</p><p>His eyes shot open, and it felt like all his muscles regained their strength, limbs all jerking in action at once, as he ran for his life - and he was, heels digging into dirt, darting between trees, twigs snapping underneath his bare feet. He could already feel splinters tearing skin, and he hissed through gritted teeth. Distantly, he could hear shouts, could vaguely comprehend a few words, <i>come back here, you son of a bitch</i> - they were already after him.</p><p>He shook his head, energy that he didn’t even know he had forcing him to run faster - he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t allow weakness, even though his entire body was aching, urging him to stop, and he only had been running for a couple minutes.</p><p>But his desperate will to go on, to escape, pushed him forward, as he fled from the prison, from the clearing he had been standing in only moments ago, going deeper and deeper into the thick forest, branches smacking against his forehead.</p><p>It was pouring down, now, rain soaking his tattered jumpsuit and chilling him to the core - although he couldn’t really feel it, his body focused on getting away, his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. He could hear different set of footsteps behind him, and they were so, <i>so</i> close - panic settled deep into his gut, because he thought he was ahead of them, he thought he had the advantage of the surprise, but they were catching up, and he could clearly distinguish the sound of armors and weapons clinking against each other, getting closer, <i>closer-</i></p><p>His foot caught in a tree root, and he fell face first into the mud, brown staining orange as he gasped for air, rolling onto his back, not caring about the soiled dirt clinging to his face as he propped himself up on his elbows, ready to scramble back up and run again-</p><p>A flash of purple and white danced before his eyes, and they widened in surprise as terror wracked through his body because they were here, and he desperately tried to push himself up, wet palms searching for something to hold onto, and failing as they slipped - and he was hyperventilating, ragged breaths coming out in short pants, crazed eyes roaming between the trees, his heart feeling like it was going to beat out of his chest.</p><p>Something cold and sharp met his stomach, plunging into it and slicing through it as if it was butter.</p><p>A strangled scream escaped his mouth as his hands closed on the blade, smearing it with red. His back slammed against the ground, and he let out another shriek, his desperate attempts to get the thing out of him proving useless.</p><p>Numb pain was already starting to spread through his body, and his grip on the sword weakened - he realized that someone was straddling him, he could barely make out a trembling hand holding the handle of the weapon, mud mixing with rain and obscuring his vision with a thick film.</p><p>He let his arms fall back, too exhausted and weak to continue struggling - he lifted his hand, and rubbed his eyes, wiping the water out of his eyes, tired gaze meeting the fierce one of his opponent, of his murderer, the man who took him down with a single hit.</p><p>
  <i>Sapnap.</i>
</p><p>Of course it was Sapnap - Dream remembered the promise he made, the last and only time he visited him, the way he said it with such bitter sadness.</p><p>
  <i>"Dream, if you try and break out early - you know you only have one life left, okay. And, I don’t think it’s gonna be Tommy, it’s not gonna be Techno, Dream - if you break out of this prison, it’s gonna be me who takes your final life."</i>
</p><p>Sapnap’s mouth was moving, but he couldn’t hear anything. Static filled his head, burning hot pain paralyzing him- he could only look at his ex best friend’s face, studying his expression, frowning when he noticed tears running down his cheeks.</p><p>He lifted his hand again, this time raising it to meet Sapnap’s face, resting on his cheek and staying still. A weak smile tugged at his lips (it felt as genuine as the first one), and he watched his former friend’s eyes widen.</p><p>He opened his mouth, and when he spoke through cracked lips, he actually heard himself loud and clear, like it resonated in his skull.</p><p>"It’s okay"</p><p>And then,</p><p>"I’m sorry"</p><p>
  <i>(Was he?)</i>
</p><p>He guessed sorry didn’t cut it. He knew what he had done, he wasn’t trying to justify it anymore, because it was all pointless - he knew he deserved to be locked in the vault, he deserved to rot, to suffer for all the pain he caused. And yet, he still tried to escape, still tried to get out, his mind screaming <i>unfair unfair unfair,</i> his want to survive, to live, to forgive and be forgiven covering the other side of his brain, the rational and logic one, that knew he wasn’t redeemable, he didn’t deserve forgiveness.</p><p>He let his arms fall on each side of his head after a halfhearted attempt at drying Sapnap’s tears with his thumb.</p><p>His gaze moved from his face to stare at the sky, draping over the forest, grey clouds releasing waterfalls, pouring down on the trees, washing away the mud on his face.</p><p>It was ironic - he always thought his last death would be spectacular. He was the villain, the god, he blew up countries, homes. He imagined dying fighting, he imagined going out with a bang, he imagined blowing up the whole SMP with him, as crazy as it sounded.</p><p>And here he was, lying in the dirt, blood mixing with brown damp water, trees looming over him, twigs digging into his torn jumpsuit, a sword lodged deep into his stomach, his best friend sobbing on top of him, clinging onto his clothes for dear life, shaking his shoulders as if he was trying to bring him back - but Dream was too far gone.</p><p>It was laughable - how he had tasted freedom for the first time in so long, and how quickly it was denied for him. How he had hopes to fly, only to be brought down to the ground minutes, seconds later, a red puddle forming under his frail body.</p><p>He knew he should feel angry, or at least frustrated - there was still so much to do, so much to fix, so much to build. He was tired of destroying and destroying.</p><p>Instead, nothing - if only a pang in his chest, a tug at his slowing heartbeat.</p><p>Regret.</p><p>
  <i>
    <b>Dream was slain by Sapnap.</b>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello :) i’m back, i speedran this and now i have a headache.</p><p>decided to take a break from writing tommy angst and finally got around writing dream angst!</p><p>he’s my second favorite on the smp - he’s such an interesting character and i hope he wasn’t too much ooc (i tried to stay a little bit sympathetic without justifying his actions).</p><p>as always, feel free to leave kudos and comments, i always love reading and seeing them! :))</p></blockquote></div></div>
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